If you've ever tried to resize a logo and watched it turn into a blurry mess, you've experienced the difference between raster and vector the hard way. It's not a fun lesson.

Vector images are one of those design concepts that sound more technical than they actually are. Once you understand what they are and how they work, the rest clicks pretty fast. So let's break it down without the jargon.

What Is a Vector Image, Actually?

A vector image is built from mathematical paths (points, lines, and curves) rather than a fixed grid of pixels. Because the image is described mathematically, it can scale to any size without any loss in quality. Your logo can go on a business card or a billboard and look exactly the same.

Raster images (JPEGs, PNGs, most photos) are the opposite. They're made of pixels arranged in a grid. When you blow them up beyond their original resolution, the software has to guess what goes between those pixels, and the result is blur, jagged edges, and general sadness.

This is why your designer always asks for logos in SVG or AI format. Those are vector formats. If you hand them a PNG, they can work with it, but they can't scale it cleanly and they can't edit the individual shapes.

Vector vs. Raster: When to Use Each

Neither format is universally better. They serve different purposes.

Use vector when:

• You're creating logos, icons, or any brand mark
• The asset needs to appear at multiple sizes
• You want to be able to edit or recolor it later
• You're printing anything larger than a sheet of paper
• You're animating shapes or icons

Use raster when:

• You're working with photographs
• Your image has complex gradients or photographic detail
• You're creating textures or mixed-media imagery
• The image will only ever appear on screen at a fixed size

A good designer will know when each format is appropriate without you having to ask. But if you're managing assets yourself, this distinction will save you a lot of headaches.

The Tools Designers Use to Create Vector Images

Adobe Illustrator

The industry standard for vector work. Illustrator has been the go-to tool for vector image creation for decades, and for good reason: it's powerful, flexible, and produces files that work everywhere. The main downside: it's part of Adobe's Creative Cloud subscription, which adds up.

If you're hiring a professional designer, they're almost certainly working in Illustrator.

Figma

Figma is primarily a UI and design collaboration tool, but it has solid vector capabilities built in. You can create vector shapes, draw with the pen tool, and export clean SVGs. For teams already using Figma for product or web design work, it's a natural place to handle vector assets too.

Figma's big advantage is collaboration: multiple people can work on a file simultaneously, and sharing assets is effortless.

Inkscape

Free and open source. Inkscape doesn't have the polished feel of Illustrator, but it's genuinely capable for vector image creation, especially for simpler assets. If you're doing occasional vector work and don't want to pay for Illustrator, Inkscape is a legitimate option.

Other options

There are dedicated apps like Affinity Designer and Sketch that also handle vector work well. The point isn't to pick the "right" tool. Any of these can produce professional vector assets. What matters is whether the person using the tool knows what they're doing.

When to Create Vector In-House vs. Hire a Professional

This comes down to complexity and how much the asset matters.

Reasonable to create in-house:

• Basic geometric icons or shapes
• Simple infographic elements
• Internal templates and basic graphics

Worth hiring a professional:

• Your logo (any version of it)
• Brand icons or a custom illustration style
• Marketing assets that represent your brand externally
• Anything that needs to look polished and consistent

The tool doesn't make the designer. A founder using Figma for the first time and a professional illustrator using the same tool will produce very different results. Vector art looks clean and precise when done well. Done poorly, it looks like a first-day project.

If you're at the stage where your brand needs to hold up across channels, book a call with Jamm and we can talk through what you actually need.

Common Uses for Vector Images in Brand Work

Understanding where vectors are used helps you know when to invest in getting them right.

Logos Every logo should be created and delivered in vector format. Full stop. This is the one asset you'll use at every size, on every surface, for as long as the brand exists. A raster logo is a liability.

Icons Custom icon sets create visual consistency across your product, website, and marketing. When icons are vector, they can be resized, recolored, and animated easily.

Illustrations Brand illustrations that live on your website, in decks, or across social content are almost always built as vectors. They maintain crispness everywhere and can be adapted as your brand evolves.

Patterns and textures Background patterns, decorative elements, and geometric textures used in brand design are typically vector-based so they tile and scale cleanly.

Infographics Any chart or diagram built as a vector can be edited and resized without re-creating from scratch. That matters when your data changes or you need the same infographic at multiple sizes.

Take a look at our brand illustration style guide to see how vector work fits into a broader visual system.

Vector File Formats You'll Actually Encounter

When someone delivers vector assets, you'll usually see a few file types:

• SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics): the web standard. Opens in browsers, works in most design tools, easy to share.
• AI (Adobe Illustrator): the working file format. You can't open these without Illustrator, but they preserve full editability.
• EPS (Encapsulated PostScript): an older format, still widely used for print production.
• PDF: when exported from a vector tool, PDFs can actually preserve vector data.

When someone delivers your brand assets, ask for SVG plus the native working file (AI or Figma). The SVG lets you use it immediately. The working file means you or a future designer can edit it later.

How Jamm Handles Vector Assets

When Jamm creates logos, icons, or brand illustrations, vector files are part of the standard delivery. That means you get clean SVGs, the editable working files, and assets organized for actual use, not just technically "delivered."

Because Jamm works on a subscription model, vector asset creation fits naturally into an ongoing relationship rather than a one-off project. You need a new icon for a feature you just shipped? Submit the request and it's back in about two business days. Need a logo variation for dark backgrounds? Same deal.

The icon design guide covers when custom icons are worth commissioning versus pulling from a library, if you want to dig into that decision specifically.

The Short Version

Vector images scale without quality loss. Raster images don't. Logos, icons, and illustrations should always be created in vector format. Illustrator is the industry standard tool, Figma works well for teams already in that ecosystem, and Inkscape is a solid free option.

If your design work needs to hold up across sizes and surfaces, vector is non-negotiable. If you're not sure whether your current assets are up to scratch, start your subscription and let's sort it out.